Road fence



1961 H. H. HANSEN I 2,969,223

ROAD FENCE Filed June 26, 1957 QINVENTOR. Hm #mMJL/u Hwww WM 5. am,

United States Patent ROAD FENCE Hans Henning Hansen, Askeby, Mon, Denmark Filed June 26, 1957, Ser. No. 668,257

Claims priority, application Denmark June 28, 1956 6 Claims. (Cl. 256-131) The present invention relates to a road-fence consisting of a row of dug-in vertical concrete posts and horizontal reinforced concrete rails secured thereto.

In one type of known road-fences of this kind the concrete posts have horizontal holes therethrough of circular cross-section adapted to receive corresponding pins arranged at the ends of the reinforced concrete rails. A disadvantage of this type of fence, however, is that the horizontal holes in the concrete posts reduce the strength of the post considerably. This is due to the fact that the holes must be of relatively large diameter because of the said pins, which must not be too thin because they are stressed by large bending moments. Furthermore, notch effect will occur at the transition point between the pins and the full cross-section of the reinforced concrete rails.

In another type of known road-fence of the kind described each of the concrete posts has on each side a guide for the end of the corresponding reinforced concrete rail. The guide has a horizontal part in which the end of the reinforced concrete rail is inserted by erecting the fence and has further a vertical slot departing from the bottom of the horizontal part and adapted to receive the end of the reinforced concrete rail in the erected position of the fence. In this embodiment it is easy to mount the reinforced concrete rails, but it is a drawback that the reinforced concrete rails may be removed simply by lifting them up. It is also disadvantageous that the two guides being situated at the same level on each side of a concrete post will reduce the strength of the latter considerably, as it is necessary to provide an end-section of the reinforced concrete rails large enough to resist the bending-moments.

In the two known embodiments described above the concrete posts must as a consequence be extraordinarily thick if they are to have suflicient strength at the points where the reinforced concrete rails are connected with the concrete posts.

The invention has for its object to create a new sort of road-fence which is easy to mount and dismount and in which the concrete posts are only little weakened at the points where the reinforced concrete rails are connected to the posts.

According to the principal feature of the invention each of the reinforced concrete rails is inserted in horizontal, undercut grooves in the concrete posts. Because of the undercutting the grooves can have a cross-section corresponding in shape to only a part of the cross-section of the reinforced concrete rails. The rest of the crosssection of the reinforced concrete rails thus projects from the surface of the concrete posts, seen in the longitudinal direction of the reinforced concrete rails. The groove in the concrete post can therefore have a comparatively small cross-section so that the concrete post will have only a little loss of strength at this place. It is, however, presupposed that the groove is undercut so that the reinforced concrete rail can be withdrawn from the groove only in its own longitudinal direction. By providing each concrete post with only a groove there- 2,969,223 Patented Jan. 24, 1961 through as described, a very simple shape of the concrete post is obtained, and the post will therefore be durable and easy to cast. At the same time the notch elfect in the reinforced concrete rails is avoided as the rails can have a uniform cross-section over the entire length.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention each of the reinforced concrete rails has an egg-shaped crosssection which is symmetrical with respect to a mainly horizontal axis. Thus, the reinforced concrete rails can be turned upside down so that the top surface will be directed downwards and vice versa. This can be done when for instance the top surface has been damaged while the bottom surface is still undamaged. It is a further advantage that the reinforced concrete rails have no sharp edges as do known rails, since experience has shown that sharp edges are particularly liable to suffer damage.

In order that the invention may be readily carried into effect, it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a side view of a concrete post showing the reinforced concrete rails in cross section along the line 1-1 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 shows a part of the road-fence, seen from the road; and

Fig. 3 is a section along the line IIII'II of Fig. 1.

A number of equivalently spaced concrete posts 1 are dug into the earth. Each post 1 has on the side facing the road a horizontal undercut groove 2 therethrough and a corresponding, but higher situated groove 3 with a somewhat smaller cross-section. These grooves 2 and 3 have a substantially fiat rear face 7', abutting with a surface 7 of the guide rails, which will be described later, and shaped top and bottom faces of such configuration, that the vertical distance across their free front aperture is smaller than some or all of the distances within the post. Top and bottom shapes of the grooves are symmetrically arranged about a horizontal axis and con gruent with the corresponding surfaces of the horizontal rails. In the grooves 2 and 3 are inserted horizontal reinforced concrete rails 4 and 5 respectively, the crosssection of which is bounded by two arcs of circles with different radius and two straight lines connecting and being tangent to the two arcs. The broadest part of the section is situated in the groove 2 or 3 so that the reinforced concrete rails cannot be withdrawn from the grooves in the posts 1 in a transverse or oblique direction.

The reinforced concrete rails 4 and 5 are built up of sections abutting against each other with joints 6 placed at the center line of each concrete post 1.

In order to avoid greater longitudinal displacements of the reinforced concrete rails 4 and Sthese have a reduced cross-section along the width of each post, a part of the reinforced concrete rails being cut away along a longitudinal cutting surface 7 which is shown in Fig. 1 with a dotted line and in Fig. 3 with a fully d-rawn line. Each end of a reinforced concrete rail is provided with a shoulder 8 abutting against the surface of the concrete post 1.

Every other one of the concrete posts has an upwardly directed extension 9 in those sections of the road where a high fence is required. The upper ends of the extensions 9 of these posts 1' are interconnected by reinforced concrete rails 10 which are shaped and mounted in the same way as the rails 4 and 5.

The road-fence is erected by digging in the first concrete post 1 whereafter the first set of reinforced concrete rails are inserted into the grooves of the post. Subsequently the second concrete post is dug in and so on. Where the road-fence commences or ends, the grooves in the end post can be filled out with an end block having a part protruding from the concrete post and being curved away from the road. The reinforced concrete rails have ordinary reinforcing rods terminating about an inch from the end faces of the rails.

When a reinforced concrete rail 4, 5 or has been damaged on the top surface it can be turned upside down so that the damaged face will be directed downwards.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint ofprior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: v

1. A guard rail fence comprising at least one rail and one post, said post having a sidenotch having an opening toward the front thereof, said notch being undercut to provide an enlarged area to the rear of said opening, said rail having an end portion of substantially the same configuration as that of said notch and in engagement therein, and an adjacent shoulder on said rail in abutting engagement with a side of said post.

2. A guard rail fence, as claimed in claim' 1, wherein said notch has a cross-section symmetrical about a horizontal axis.

3. A guard rail fence, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said notch has a continuously curved cross-section and said rail has a continuously curved cross-section corresponding to the cross-section of said notch.

4. A guard rail fence, as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said rail and said posts is comprised of pre-cast reinforced concrete.

5. A guard rail fence, as claimed in claim 1, wherein a second rail is arranged in horizontally spaced apart relationship from said one rail, said second rail having an end portion of substantially the same configuration as that of said notch and in engagement therein, and an adjacent shoulder on said second rail in abutting engagement with a side of said post, the remainder of each of said rails extending outwardly from said post beyond a side of said post.

6. .A guard rail fence, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said notch has, a cross-section which is substantially the configuration of part of an egg, said rail having a substantially egg-shaped cross-section larger at one side of said rail than the other and the center of gravity of said rail being located adjacent to said one side thereof, said notch having a cross-sectional configuration mating with that of said one side of said rail so that said rail extends atsaid other side thereof beyond said front of said post while at the same time said rail is supported by said post and is not subjected to moments tending to turn the rail out of said notch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 398,078 Peterson Feb. 19, 1889 984,711 Stanley Feb. 21, 1911 1,848,246 Dowell n Mar. 8, 1932 2,733,897 Diamond Feb. 7, 1956 

